DOLE: No Pinoys affected so far in Saudi crackdown vs. illegal workers


The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday said Filipinos have not been affected so far by the crackdown against illegal workers in Saudi Arabia.
 
According to an interview with Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, there is "not a single report" of affected Filipino workers in Saudi at the present time.
 
Meanwhile, Philippines Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) head Hans Cacdac said even though there have been reports indicating workers from other nationalities have been banned from Saudi, nothing so far regarding the same for Filipinos has surfaced.
 
Saudi Arabian authorities have recently raided offices and put up immmigration checkpoints across the country as part of the country's crackdown against undocumented workers.
 
On Tuesday, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philippine government will assist undocumented Pinoys who may be arrested in the heat of the ongoing operations.
 
“The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine consulate general in Jeddah are closely monitoring the implementation by the Saudi government on its ongoing drive to go after erring employers and illegal workers as mandated by its Saudi labor law,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message.
 
According to the Commission on Filipinos Overseas' 2011 Stock Estimate of Overseas Filipinos, there were around 20,000 undocumented Pinoys in Saudi Arabia that year. On the other hand, an estimated 1,530,218 Filipinos were listed that year whose stay in the country was work-related.
 
Saudi Arabia was also listed as the second top destination country of Filipinos in that list. - Gian C. Geronimo, VVP, GMA News
 

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